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Taillow Line/RSE
The Taillow line is found in the following areas: Route 104 (10%), Petalburg Woods (5%), Route 116 (20%), Route 115 (40% Taillow, 10% Swellow) Taillow is the third generation's answer to Pidgey and Hoothoot. It and its evolved form Swellow are also some of the better early birds (excuse the pun) in the Pokemon franchise due to their stat spread, ability, and movepool meshing very nicely. This usefulness translates fairly well to Nuzlockes, where the line's high speed in particular is an incredible asset to a Trainer looking for an edge on offense. All isn't perfect for the Tiny Swallow Pokemon, though, as its movepool is almost entirely comprised of STAB moves and the boss matchups don't do much to accentuate its strengths. Nonetheless, many Nuzlockers will find themselves capturing a Taillow as they traverse Hoenn, and they'll be glad to have it on their side. Important Matchups R/S MATCHUPS Gym 1/Rustboro City/Roxanne (Rock type): Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a while to use your fresh new Taillow in a Gym battle. The poor bird has no way to inflict meaningful damage on Rock types at this stage of the game, and their super-effective STAB moves will really hurt against Taillow's weak Defense stat. Keep it on the sideline here, and know that it will start really coming in handy soon. Gym 2/Dewford Town/Brawly (Fighting type): Here's where Taillow gets to show off what it can do. By this point, you should definitely have Wing Attack, and you'll be putting it to great use here. That move will allow you to two-shot both of Brawly's Pokemon, Machop and Makuhita, without a Guts boost; with Guts in play (perhaps from a Shroomish's Effect Spore), Wing Attack is buffed to be a near-OHKO or better. This is, of course, assuming that they don't accumulate Bulk Up boosts, which is very, very dangerous for Taillow. Even unboosted, Machop's Karate Chop stands a good chance of killing a full-health Taillow with a critical hit, and Makuhita's Arm Thrust can do up to two-thirds of Taillow's health with a five-hit attack. In short, Taillow can be useful here for its speed and super-effective coverage. But, it really can't afford to take the powerful hits Brawly's team can dish out. Rival/Route 110: Taillow (or Swellow if you've been grinding aggressively) doesn't suffer from any really notable disadvantages in this fight, regardless of what your rival's team is. Do try to keep it away from Wailmer if you didn't choose Torchic, though, because it carries Rollout. It can deal great damage to Shroomish, Grovyle and Combusken with its Flying STAB; Numel also poses little threat. Marshtomp might be a bit tougher to break through, especially since it has Bide, but Taillow/Swellow is at least immune to its strongest attack (Mud Shot). Wally/Mauville City: You should far outlevel his Ralts at this point, so click Wing Attack and claim your win. Gym 3/Mauville City/Wattson (Electric type): You should probably have a Swellow by the time you challenge this Gym, but please don't use it here. Even with the benefit of evolution, Wattson's team will slaughter your poor bird by targeting its poor Special Defense stat with their super-effective STAB moves. There's a time and a place for everything, but not now. Team Admins/Mt. Chimney: Poochyena is pathetically weak for this stage of the game, so your bird can definitely handle that. Team Magma's Numel are more of a threat, but Swellow has the raw power to get through them without too much risk. It should be noted that Ember burns don't worry Swellow beyond their chip damage because of Guts. In Sapphire this battle is noticeably easier, because Carvahna are much more frail than Numel. Your chief worry there will be accruing too much Rough Skin chip damage. Team Leaders/Mt. Chimney: You will be facing a Mightyena with Intimidate regardless of version, and that hampers Swellow's effectiveness. If possible, avoid leading with Swellow. Additionally, the Golbat is the same in both versions; it tanks Wing Attack fairly well, so you should ensure your Swellow is healthy before taking it on. Maxie's Camerupt (Ruby) is much better handled by a Water type, as its bulk mitigates your Wing Attack's effectiveness. Archie's Sharpedo, which you'll face if you're playing Sapphire, is much frailer, but also boasts Rough Skin to punish you for using contact moves and special STABs for targeting your weak points. It might be better to use something else against these guys' aces. Gym 4/Lavaridge Town/Flannery: You can probably muscle your way past the two Slugma, but they both carry strong Fire moves and one has Rock Slide. Torkoal is beyond your Swellow's ability to break through thanks to its sky-high base Defense. You should only consider attacking Torkoal if you used the Return TM on your Swellow after returning the Meteorite to Prof. Cozmo in Fallarbor Town. In summary, Flannery's Pokemon will roast your bird's poor Special Defense, so leave Swellow out of this battle if at all possible. Gym 5/Petalburg City/Norman: The Slaking are far too bulky for Swellow to outmuscle, and their powerful attacks will leave your bird seriously bruised. The Vigoroth is easier to handle, although Swellow's low bulk hampers its effectiveness yet again. It should also be noted that only Return out of all Swellow's available moves can possibly guarantee a 3HKO on Vigoroth, even if you're leveled for Norman's ace. It might be best to let your bird sit this one out, but its risk is smaller here than it was against Flannery. Team Admins/Weather Institute: Mightyena's Intimidate will hurt Swellow's effectiveness, but if you get it in safely after something else absorbs the stat drop, you should be able to outmuscle the admin's lead without too much trouble. You'll probably outlevel the foe's Numel or Carvahna after facing Norman, which makes them easy cannon fodder. Rival/Route 119: Not much has changed in terms of your Swellow's effectiveness against your rival's team. You should still avoid that Rollout Wailmer, and you're still able to dispatch Grovyle, Combusken, and Shroomish easily. Numel and Marshtomp are now easier to handle thanks to the fact that Swellow's power is much greater than Taillow's. Do be careful of letting your bird take too many hits, as usual. Gym 6/Fortree City/Winona: Your Swellow is best equipped to take on Winona's Swellow out of all her team. Do be careful of Endeavor, even though you should probably outlevel it (and therefore have the advantage). Skarmory, Pelipper, and Altaria all have relatively high physical bulk. You should definitely avoid taking on Skarmory, at least, because it resists everything Swellow could possibly throw at it. If you need a switch-in to Altaria, Swellow isn't the best unless you successfully bait an Earthquake. Non-critical Return actually has about a coin-toss's chance of 2HKHOing Pelipper if you level for Altaria. Swellow recoups some usefulness here, but still isn't a shining option. Rival/Lilycove: Literally nothing has changed between this and the last time you battled your rival, except the addition of a Swellow to their team. See the tips I wrote above, and add to them the cautious optimism you should have developed when considering whether or not to battle Winona's Swellow with your own. Team Admins/Lilycove Hideout: In Ruby, you can dispatch Numel fairly easily with your STAB moves, and Camerupt can only hurt you with Take Down. You should be okay to deal with Mightyena too, as long as you avoid Intimidate. In Sapphire, the difference is a Carvahna and Sharpedo replace the Numel line members. They're much less sturdy, but have more options for hurting you back and have Rough Skin to chip away at your health. Make sure to keep your Swellow healthy in those matchups. Gym 7/Mossdeep City/Tate and Liza: This really isn't the best place to use Swellow, because Solrock and Lunatone resist all its moves bar Steel Wing. Even if you do pack that move, they have several powerful options that target Swellow's weak Special Defense stat. I'd advise keeping Swellow out of this battle, unless you're sure its double battle partner can follow up its attack with a KO on at least one adversary. Team Admins/Seafloor Cavern: This Camerupt (Ruby only) actually has Rock Slide, so I'd advise using something else against it. As long as you avoid Intimidate, you can take down Mightyena, though. Against Sharpedo, be careful to account for both its attacking prowess and Rough Skin chip damage, but you should be able to blast through its meager defenses pretty easily. Team Leaders/Seafloor Cavern: Crobat is very fast and has decently powerful STAB moves, so it bears remembering that your Swellow isn't the most durable Pokemon and may need the help of items to take this foe down. Mightyena is fairly easy to beat as long as you avoid Intimidate and taking too many hits. As far as version exclusives go, Maxie's Camerupt still has Rock Slide, so avoid that. Archie's Sharpedo, though, actually has no STAB moves, so you can take it on in relative safety. Groudon/Cave of Origin: Sun-boosted Fire Blast will turn your Swellow into KFC. Please use something else, because the poor bird can't OHKO Groudon. Kyogre/Cave of Origin: This thing is very bulky and has Ice Beam to mess you up. Please avoid using Swellow here. Gym 8/Sootopolis City/Wallace: Avoid using Swellow against Sealeo and Milotic, as they both have Ice-type attacks that will hurt your bird severely. You can definitely handle Luvdisc and Seaking (just make sure you're higher than Level 42 to avoid Horn Drill shenanigans). Whiscash is fairly bulky and can hit you with Water Pulse (but not Earthquake!) for decent damage, so assess your risks and play cautiously if you must use Swellow against it. Wally/Victory Road: You can easily dispatch Roselia and Delcatty, but beware the potential repercussions of using contact moves on them. Do not under any circumstances attempt to battle Magneton with Swellow, though. Altaria and Gardevoir might be more feasible, but Altaria is pretty bulky and has special STAB, whereas Gardevoir will bring the pain with STAB Psychic if you don't one-shot it. Probably best to leave those two to some other team member. Elite Four Sidney: Don't lead with Swellow, because Sidney leads with an Intimidate Mightyena that will cut its offensive power. If you manage to get it in safely, there's nothing really bulky on Sidney's team that prevents Swellow from sweeping outright. Keep an eye on its health against Sharpedo and Absol, and enjoy the show against Cacturne and Shiftry. Elite Four Phoebe: The Ghost types Phoebe brings to the table are immune to Swellow's Normal STAB, so don't bother with those moves. Conversely, they can't hit you with their STAB moves either. Press the advantage as you're able, but do keep your bird healthy. The two Dusclops are bulky with Pressure, so you'll need to watch your PP; the first has Curse and Future Sight for piling up chip damage, and the second has Ice Beam, which will still hurt despite Dusclops's low Special Attack. The two Banette are rather frail, but both carry ways of hurting Swellow in Faint Attack and Psychic respectively. You needn't worry about Will-O-Wisp burns thanks to Guts, though. The Sableye can use Attract in addition to a couple of special moves, so don't abandon caution even though it should fold after two or three Flying moves. Elite Four Glacia: Please don't use a specially fragile Flying type against a team of bulky Ice types. That's not going to go well for you. Elite Four Drake: Avoid battling Shelgon with Swellow, as it's got a pretty high Attack stat and Rock Tomb. Altaria still has special STAB and good bulk, so you should probably use something else against it (preferably something with an Ice move). The two Flygon both have Dragon STAB and other special moves, but you are immune to Dig from the one that carries it. Probably not the safest thing to do, but Swellow could probably do okay against the Flygon duo (especially if you level for the Champion). Salamence has powerful attacks and the stats to use them, not to mention Intimidate. Probably best to look elsewhere for your answer to Drake's big gun. Champion Steven: Swellow has no business trying to hit the Steel types on this guy's team because they resist all its attacks and have very high Defense stats. Leave Skarmory, Aggron, and Metagross to other members of your team. Claydol is bulky enough that it can tank at least one hit and set up screens or do some serious damage to Swellow with Ancientpower; might be best to leave this one for a teammate, too. Cradily and Armaldo are both hit for super effective damage by Steel Wing (and it's kind of poetic to use Steven's gift against him); they both have STAB on their Rock moves, though, so you should exercise extreme caution if you use Swellow at all against them. Armaldo in particular can OHKO Swellow with its Ancientpower, so you ought not to use your bird there. Overall, Swellow doesn't contribute much to your Nuzlocke's (presumably) final battle. Postgame: Rayquaza is far too powerful for Swellow to take on with any degree of safety. ADDITIONAL/CHANGED EMERALD MATCHUPS (incomplete list): Rival/Rustboro City: Taillow does particularly well against your rival if you chose Treecko or Mudkip, because that choice leads to your rival having Lotad and Torchic or Wingull and Treecko respectively. All of those Pokemon are fragile enough that a sufficiently leveled Taillow can do good damage to them if not KO them outright. Do be cautious when facing Ember from Torchic, though. If you chose Torchic yourself, Taillow's ability to contribute drops off dramatically. Be careful of Bide from Mudkip, and you won't be able to make a dent in Torkoal. Slugma is probably your safest opponent in that case. Dewford Gym: Here's where Taillow gets to show off what it can do. By this point, you should definitely have Wing Attack, and you'll be putting it to great use here. That move will allow you to two-shot Brawly's Machop and Makuhita, and possibly OHKO his Meditite. This is, of course, assuming that they don't accumulate Bulk Up boosts, which is very, very dangerous for Taillow. Even unboosted, Machop's Karate Chop stands a good chance of killing a full-health Taillow with a critical hit, and Makuhita's Arm Thrust can do up to two-thirds of Taillow's health with a five-hit attack. Of course, these outlooks can all be improved by overleveling if that's to your taste. In short, Taillow is useful here thanks to its speed and super-effective coverage, but it really can't afford to take the powerful hits Brawly's team can dish out. Rival/Route 110: Taillow (or Swellow if you've been grinding aggressively) doesn't meet with any real disadvantages in this fight, regardless of what your rival's team is. It can, however, deal great damage to Lombre, Grovyle and Combusken with its Flying STAB; Slugma and Wingull also pose it little threat. Marshtomp might be a bit tougher to break through, especially since it still has Bide, but Taillow/Swellow is at least immune to its strongest attack (Mud Shot). this matchup actually change? if so, this text doesn't reflect it Tabitha/Mt. Chimney: Poochyena and Zubat are easy KO fodder for Swellow at this stage. The Numel may be a bit tougher to break, but you should probably have a level advantage after facing Wattson. Make sure your bird doesn't take too many hits and you'll be fine. Maxie/Mt. Chimney: As long as you don't take the stat drop from Intimidate, you should be able to face Mightyena without too much anxiety. Zubat is still not much of a threat, so KO it and move on. Maxie's Camerupt packs a lot of Special Attack, so even Ember will hurt quite a bit. You could try to face it, but there's a realistic chance of failure. Lavaridge Gym: All four Pokemon here carry Overheat, which targets your Swellow's weak Special Defense. Please only use Swellow as a last resort or an emergency measure against the Slugma. Petalburg Gym: Spinda is by far the easiest thing in this battle; you can OHKO it easily. You need to do over 50% damage to Linoone on turn one in order to neuter the threat of Belly Drum, which Swellow can do almost all the time with Return. Vigoroth can do significant damage to Swellow with its STAB moves and has above-average physical bulk, so tread carefully there. Beware of Counter on Slaking, as well as its obscenely high Attack stat; best to leave that one to something else on your team. Shelly/Weather Institute: Mind the Carvahna, because it has Crunch. That'll hurt if you don't OHKO it. Mightyena still has the combination of Bite and Intimidate, so you should also eschew recklessness when facing it. Fortree Gym: Swablu and Tropius are fairly easy pickings for Swellow; just be wary of Tropius's Sunny Day/Chlorophyll/SolarBeam combination. Swellow can't touch Skarmory, so leave it for something else. Pelipper is a tough nut to crack, but doesn't have very powerful moves and will go down to repeated hits. Altaria is very bulky and has special STAB, so it'd be best to tread very carefully or let something else handle the ace. Tabitha/Jagged Pass: Zubat and Numel pose little threat at their levels (assuming you're competently leveled for Winona), so you can smack them around easily. Mightyena's Intimidate still poses a problem, so don't play recklessly against it. The Camerupt has Rock Slide, so you'd best avoid using Swellow against it. Maxie/Jagged Pass: Mightyena has Intimidate and Take Down, which will do a number on Swellow. If you can avoid the stat drop, your chances are better, but you'll probably still have to drop a Potion or two on Swellow in this fight. Same with Crobat, actually, except it replaces Intimidate with STAB on two of its moves for extra power (and is faster). Camerupt has Rock Slide and enough bulk to avoid being one-shotted, so you'd best use something else against it. Matt/Lilycove City: This Mightyena actually has no damaging moves! Your Swellow should have a field day with this one. Golbat shouldn't be too much of a challenge for you at this stage (particularly since it's barely in step with the level curve), but does have some potentially annoying moves. Fire away, because Swellow can definitely end this battle quickly. Shelly/Seafloor Cavern: Be careful of Sharpedo's STAB Crunch and Rough Skin, as usual. Taking on Mightyena is also difficult because of Take Down and Intimidate. Might be better to let Swellow sit this one out. Archie/Seafloor Cavern: Same story as above with Mightyena, and Crobat's speed and decent attacking power make it equally dangerous for Swellow to face. This Sharpedo actually doesn't have a STAB move, so you can take it on a bit more safely than most. Still be cautious, because your bird's fragility is unchanged. Moves Taillow's earliest moves are Peck and Growl, which are followed shortly by Focus Energy '''at Level 4. Unfortunately, it's too frail to spend turns setting up against any credible threat. It then acquires two very useful moves in '''Quick Attack (Level 8) and Wing Attack '(Level 13), which will be staple STAB moves for much of the game. Shortly before its evolution at Level 22, it gets another move it can't safely use in '''Double Team '(Level 19). That move is then followed by '''Endeavor (not very useful for a Nuzlocker) at Level 28 and Aerial Ace (a neat option that also allows you to conserve a one-off TM) at Level 38. Its last level-up move is Agility (Level 49), which isn't exactly necessary given Swellow's already high base Speed. Like many of its Flying-type brethren, Swellow gets Fly for convenient transport and a more powerful Flying-type option. Another potential power move is Return, which is its best Normal move option by Base Power. Also notable is Facade, which has great synergy with Swellow's Guts ability. It's hard to guarantee that you get a status, though, which keeps the move from being a primary option. Swellow's other notable TM option is Steel Wing, which allows it to damage the Rock types that resist its STAB combination. Its coverage is mediocre otherwise, though, as it doesn't hit many bosses' teams super effectively (not to mention that those Rock types can typically survive a hit and retaliate with a super effective STAB move). Recommended Moveset: Quick Attack, Wing Attack/Aerial Ace, Return, Steel Wing/Fly Recommended Teammates * Bulky Water types: 'Swellow has below-average bulk, so it benefits from being paired with Pokemon that can sponge up hits. Water types work well for this purpose for the most part, as they can deal with its Rock and Ice weaknesses on top of being able to take hits like champs. In return, Swellow can dispatch the Grass types that bother them with great efficiency. Just be careful of the shared Electric weakness between the two. ** ''Good examples of this kind of Pokemon include: Swampert, Milotic, Walrein, and Gyarados. * '''Ground types: Ground types are the best answer to Swellow's Electric weakness, and some of them are quite bulky to boot, which also complements Swellow well. ** Good examples of this kind of Pokemon include: Swampert, Claydol, Sandslash, and Flygon. * Special sweepers: As a dedicated physical attacker, Swellow tends to have trouble breaking through opponents with high physical bulk. Fortunately, most of those opponents are also vulnerable to special attacks, by type weaknesses and/or by stat distribution. Therefore, having a strong special attacker around is a good idea for Swellow users. ** Good examples of this kind of Pokemon include: Manectric, Alakazam, and Starmie. Other tables here * What Nature do I want? '''Swellow is a simple Pokemon in terms of what stats it needs and doesn't; you want to boost Attack (preferably) or Speed, ideally not decreasing the other. Its least necessary stat is Special Attack, so Adamant and Jolly are perfect. * '''At what point in the game should I be evolved? You could feasibly evolve before facing Brawly if you don't mind overleveling, but you should definitely have a Swellow by the time you face Wattson. There is nothing worth delaying Taillow's evolution for. * '''How good is the Taillow line in a Nuzlocke? '''Speedy Pokemon are always a boon in this challenge, and Swellow is a great example of one. It gets solid STAB moves and a handy Ability in Guts. Despite all this, bosses' teams are often of types that Swellow dislikes facing, or are otherwise bulky enough to give it a serious run for its money. With the right support, it is a strong contributor to a Trainer's team, but don't expect Swellow to carry you to victory by itself. * '''Weaknesses: '''Electric, Rock, Ice * '''Resistances: '''Bug, Grass * '''Immunities: '''Ground, Ghost * '''Neutralities: '''Normal, Fire, Water, Fighting, Psychic, Dark, Steel, Poison, Flying, Dragon star ratings Availability: 3.5* Matchups: 3* Movepool: 3* Survivability: 3.5* Type Usefulness: 3* Team Role: 4* Offensive Utility: 4* Defensive Utility: 2.5* Tankiness: 2*Category:Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald Category:Abandoned Articles